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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to think a 5 year old shouldn't have a TV in their room?

149 replies

Needmorechocolate · 21/02/2015 21:30

My niece (who is 5) has a TV in her room. Apparently they put on a DVD every night at bedtime and she'll fall asleep watching it after an hour or so.

I think 5 is too young to have TV in the bedroom and don't think it's healthy to be falling asleep in front of the TV every night. AIBU to think this?

OP posts:

bumbleymummy · 22/02/2015 08:21

Hmmmmm. I think it's U to have DVDs on every night at that age tbh. Although we did have an old portable TV that ended up living in the kid's bedroom for movie night on Friday. If you saw it there you might think it was being used all the time but it really was only once a week. So I guess it's not so much where it is as how often it's being used that's the problem...

afreshstartplease · 22/02/2015 08:26

My eldest dc got a tv for their room two Christmas's ago so they were 4 and 5

It doesn't go on every day And tbh it's mainly used for the games console which is on for a max of two hours a day but not every day

They have never fallen asleep watching dvds in bed

MirandaWest · 22/02/2015 08:50

I've decided I'm quite hypocritical as I don't have a television in my bedroom and neither do DS (11) or DD (9). But all three of us have iPads which are used all over the house. I use mine as a television sometimes in bed. Both DCs watch you tube in their bedrooms sometimes although I don't let DS use his overnight although I'm sure he'd like to. DD would rather read a book at night.

So although there are no televisions in bedrooms here there might as well be really.

Andrewofgg · 22/02/2015 08:55

MirandaWest If I was bringing up a child again I would have no TV, no phone, no IPAD, in the bedroom at night - I am not sure till what age but certainly older than the OP's niece - whatever friends' and classmates' DCs had - or whatever I was told they had which might not be the same thing.

ghostyslovesheep · 22/02/2015 09:15

I watch TV in bed WHILE reading a book - do I win a kitten?

mine have a TV (for X box playing and dvd watching) a tablet, another tablet and a lap top ...all are switched off 1hr before bed time - they generally read to sleep

yabu OP

LegsOfSteel · 22/02/2015 09:22

I think part of the problem is a lot of people have this (self imposed) pressure to buy a 'big ticket' item for the child's Xmas/birthday. And there are only so many things you can buy...trampoline, bike, fancy scooter, ipad, phone, gaming consoles....oh, how about a TV for their bedroom.

I find it sad that a PP's 4yo DD goes to bed at 6:30 and watches a DVD by herself then goes to sleep. My DD likes to watch TV with someone and comment about what's happening, and laugh along with someone.

YourMaNoBraBackOfMyCar · 22/02/2015 09:23

We have a TV in our room. How the fuck are we supposed to watch our selves screwing while we screw?

My kids don't have TVs (my kids would find someway of breaking it or injuring themselves) but I do let them have their kindles or my iPad.

SparklyReindeerShit · 22/02/2015 09:42

Good grief, 'lazy parenting'?! My dd(2) watches a dvd on her tv in her room while I clean the bathroom and do other upstairs cleaning. She doesn't watch it at bedtime and it's not on all day. Is that still not allowed? We also read books, paint, go outside etc. Really can't see the problem tbh.

Mixtape · 22/02/2015 10:07

I had a tv in my room from the age of 8. My DS's are 5 and 8 and don't have one - they have story CD's at bedtime.

The reason is not that I have an opinion one way or another on children having TV's but specifically because DS1 is screen obsessed and if there is something to watch, he will watch it. I do have to limit his game console time too as otherwise he would just play constantly -
DS2 can take it or leave it, so if it was just him, he probably would have a tv in his room. As it is, if they had a TV, DS1 would want their console in there too, and it would be too much hassle. I have told them they can have one in their room when they are teenagers.

TheIronGnome · 22/02/2015 10:10

YANBU I think it's utterly ridiculous

Cliffdiver · 22/02/2015 10:11

YANBU, I don't agree with TVs in Childrens' bedrooms, I think it encourages them to be antisocial.

DH have a little TV in our bedroom but it's not linked up to the Sky so we just use it to watch DVDs once in a blue moon. DD2 (11mo) is still in our bedroom, I think we would probably use the TV more if she was in her own room.

Occasionally when DD1 (3.3) has been feeling unwell she has laid in our bed in the afternoon watching a film (with me on the bed feeding/dozing with baby DD2) but it's not something I would do on a regular basis.

Cliffdiver · 22/02/2015 10:12

DH and I

Chessie00 · 22/02/2015 10:13

DC are 7 and 4 and a TV in their bedroom is something I will resist for a few years yet. I just don't see the point.

Dh and I have a TV in our room that only works for DVDs. On a Friday night the dc have 'DVD night'. They go to bed, in our room, at 8pm and watch a DVD to go to sleep. We then carry them into their beds when we go up.

They love Friday nights, the novelty of being allowed to watch a DVD before bed and going to sleep in the big bed. I wouldn't want to spoil it by having one in their room tbh.

eversoslightlytired · 22/02/2015 10:13

until you have a child who struggles to sleep you should keep your "lazy parenting" comments to yourself. If watching half an hour of a DVD in bed means my child is asleep before 11pm then I'm more than happy to do that.

CobbOnn · 22/02/2015 10:17

The sanctimommies are out in full force on this thread!

Elfhame · 22/02/2015 10:18

YABU It's clearly working as it is sending her to sleep. What damage are a few children's DVDs going to do. It's not like she is up there watching porn.

expatinscotland · 22/02/2015 10:19

YABU

CobbOnn · 22/02/2015 10:43

Oh, and yabu, and judgemental. Someone has made a different parenting choice than you. It's not a one size fits all job, you know. Why don't you get off Mumsnet and interact with your kids? Lazy parenting I say.

WrappedInABlankie · 22/02/2015 11:11

DS is currently in my bed watching cars, he'll then watch shrek and most likely bolt! He likes his films sue me

MagicMojito · 22/02/2015 11:31

Mumsnet confuses the fuck out of me sometimes. The amount of threads started asking about parents swearing/smacking/lashing out at their kids in public and your told "don't judge" "its just s snapshot" " "you've decided shes a bad parent on this one thing?!" Blah blah... And yet it'd fine to come out with stuff like this for having a fucking television in a bedroom?? I mean, seriously??

ChillySundays · 22/02/2015 12:14

My DC are 19 & 16 - when they were younger we didn't have sky so children's TV was a few programmes in the morning and few in the afternoon. We didn't even have a computer never mind tablets. So they weren't exposed to technology all day so a bit of tv at night was that bad.

Maybe my attitude would be different if they were younger now

FreeSpirit89 · 22/02/2015 12:55

Oh. Having a tv in ones bedroom is a travesty.

Thank goodness neglected, beaten and starved children don't have to put up with something so inhuman.

Get a grip people.

Does it directly effect your life? No.
Don't want a tv in your room don't have one! Jesus Christ bananas!

DixieNormas · 22/02/2015 13:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DownstairsMixUp · 22/02/2015 13:03

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

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